Understanding respect: learning from patients

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Neal Dickert Jr, Emory University; N E Kass, Johns Hopkins University
• Language: English
• Date: 2009-07
• Publisher: BMJ Publishing Group
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © 2009, British Medical Journal Publishing Group
• Final Published Version (URL): http://jme.bmj.com/content/35/7/419
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Journal of Medical Ethics
• ISSN: 0306-6800
• Volume: 35
• Issue: 7
• Start Page: 419
• End Page: 423
• Grant/Funding Information: Funding: During the conduct of this study, Dr Dickert received funding from the NIH Medical Scientist Training Program.; This project received support from the Berman Institute of Bioethics.
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, General

Abstract

Background The importance of respecting patients and participants in clinical research is widely recognised. However, what it means to respect persons beyond recognising them as autonomous is unclear, and little is known about what patients find to be respectful. Objective To understand patients’ conceptions of respect and what it means to be respected by medical providers. Design Qualitative study from an academic cardiology clinic, using semistructured interviews with 18 survivors of sudden cardiac death. Results Patients believed that respecting persons incorporates the following major elements: empathy, care, autonomy, provision of information, recognition of individuality, dignity and attention to needs. Conclusions Making patients feel respected, or valued as a person, is a multi-faceted task that involves more than recognising autonomy. While patients’ views of respect do not determine what respect means, these patients expressed important intuitions that may be of substantial conceptual relevance.